


Masterminds

by BitterSweetTeller



Series: The Shockwaves Saga [3]
Category: Suite Life of Zack & Cody, That's So Raven, Wizards of Waverly Place
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Amnesia, Dreamscapes, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Psychological Thriller, Rivalry, Science Fiction, Suggestive Themes, Supernatural Action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 15,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29541726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitterSweetTeller/pseuds/BitterSweetTeller
Summary: Dreams transform into a prelude to reality when alliances beyond matter come into play. A sequel to Shockwaves and a direct prequel to Instincts.
Relationships: Max Russo/Surprise Female Character
Series: The Shockwaves Saga [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2165337





	1. Alex's Dreamscape

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read my fanfiction stories Shockwaves and Instincts? Please do.
> 
> This direct sequel to Shockwaves has spoilers and would probably be very hard to follow otherwise. It'll all fit into place this way.
> 
> It's not required to read Instincts before reading this fanfiction story. But, it'll be all the easier to follow what's going on if you do.
> 
> If you have at least read Shockwaves and are prepared? Make yourself comfortable, and get ready for the next level of the Shockwaves Saga.

**Prologue:**

Previously, on Shockwaves... 

The remaining agent of living metal called out, "no! Listen to…!"

But... It never got to finish the thought.

A second random lightning bolt pierced its wires.

The mechanized being's vents overloaded to the point of inner combustion.

To Alex's escalating sadness and horror?

She fully noticed human hair from the agent of living metal.

It fell to the hardness of the steps:

Defeated and inactive.

The biggest rumble Alex ever heard echoed in this well of hollow efforts.

Alex desperately covered her ears.

The extinct monstrosity tumbled to the sixth floor.

Alex's wand fell to the platform under her feet.

Alex ignored her continuing tears.

She muttered determinedly, "the cycle of darkness will end…now and forever more."

Alex picked up the wand.

With very mixed feelings... She looked at it in her hand.

And... With taking another path with a way?

She cast out, "Cerebellum Eraslum!"

Suddenly... Alex was clutching a manifesting ache in her head.

She reactively dropped the wand.

She fell to the platform.

She fell unconscious...joining her brothers in unconsciousness.

Relatively to that point in the past, an hour later…

A familiar voice said, "Where…where am I?"

A confused Alex Russo begun to get up with a groan.

She was standing on the middle of an x shaped set of steps sloping downward.

Around the ground? Steps were an entwined structure of vines shaped in the form of archways.

To be more precise? There was one for each set of steps.

At least... The ice like surface at their bases looked solid enough to be ground.

Over Alex's head?

There was what seemed to be shifting old fashioned medieval towers.

It was making up most of the surrounding atmosphere...without conflict on a tectonic plate level or a lack of oxygen.

At the scene before her?

Alex looked on with a smile.

Her smile was widening in her growing awe.

She chuckled hard.

She deduced, "I must be dreaming.... Although... I never put anything like this in my diary."

Alex kind of pointed toward the towers.

Alex corrected herself, "at least I think I hadn't."

She sounded a little uneasy.

Then... Abruptly?

A near deafening sound of breaking glass resounded to the underhanded reactionary protection of her eardrums.

And, yet... Alex reactively covered her ears fast enough.


	2. Got You Identified?

**Part 1:**

Then... Alex noticed something in deeper vision.

She looked wide eyed in surprise.

The towers were bombing down on the splitting ice ground...followed by huge geysers.

The geysers were sprouting from the stretching holes.

Over the near deafening sound?

Alex remarked, "well... Someone must be home! And, not a friendly someone!"

She instinctively walked down the only garden path beyond a particular arch.

She did so even before the tower like missiles begun.

But... Just as fast?

The near deafening sound just faded away.

And... Somehow?

Alex just knew.

She kind of cautiously moved her hands away from her ears.

She sighed in mixed relief.

She smiled a little.

A hauntingly familiar voice replied coldly, "is that any way to greet someone who knows you too well?"

Alex turned around on impulse...to see Gigi Hollingsworth.

Her clothes, her face, the rest of her...

They were all forming in ripply waves from the reforming tidal wave around the arch.

Alex half smiled at that.

Alex pointed out, "you sure have a sense of familiarity about you."

The rest of the water rush seemed to just pass on by...as if the two teenagers were encased in a bubble of air.

Gigi chuckled uneasily.

Gigi wondered, "and yet the name Gigi doesn't strike a chord?"

The thinning wall of water transformed the garden into an urban styled aquarium.

Alex gave a spirited sigh.

There was a hint of resurfacing anger in her eyes.

But... Surprisingly?

It just as quickly vanished.

Alex commented, "to be honest? I'm not sure what's truly in accordance."

Gigi laughed cruelly.

She smiled all too casually.

She realized, "you really have your cloth coming unraveled, don't you?"

Alex slightly glared at that. For, she really couldn't remember much in this dreamscape. 

And... Yet?

Alex retorted, "a tapestry is only as good as the weaver, and a weaver can make any as good as new…but often not without a story to tell."

For a moment?

Gigi look wide eyed in surprise.

Suddenly... Gigi shifted forward a chilling change of scenery.

There was a slightly cold look on her face. She was preparing to be manipulative.

The former aquarium was now a maze of ice blocks...freakishly in the shape of bricks.

There was a small round table to match the material.

Gigi and Alex begun to sit on opposite sides of this furniture.

More specifically? They sat on leather cushions resembling the tops of saddles.

They both half smiled.

All too soothing sounding... Gigi continued, "I could volunteer one you'd be quite pleased with."

Alex insisted, "please do, Gigi. I can't stand just sitting here doing nothing!"

She clenched her fists in frustration.

Gigi waited for her to unclench her fists.

Then... She put a kind of comforting hand on hers.

Gigi concluded, "maybe I have underestimated you, Alex... My sister."

Alex smiled slyly at the thought.

She thought to herself, "you my sister? Laugh! That's hilarious. I may not remember much. But, you're too... What's the word? Shallow looking. Laugh. Still..."

Alex was retracting her hand.

Alex brought up, "why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't trust you?"

Gigi implied cunningly, "isn't that the fun in schemes…recreational rivalry?"

Alex remarked, "that sounds like a sitcom."

Gigi laughed a little at that.

Alex looked nervous.

Alex challenged daringly, "but... How would proposing a story lead to a successful scheme if I then already know where the scheme will end up?"

Gigi chuckled.

She said in rebuttal, "not if the two of us team up for this round."

Alex concluded, "yeah. That could at least be fun for a while."

They both smiled slyly.

Alex added inquisitively, "and the objective?"

Gigi answered, "bringing civilization the full meaning of enjoyment."

For a moment?

Alex looked wide eyed in amazement.

Then... Alex gave her a cooled off look.

Alex deduced, "then you must have an awaiting side of your own."

Gigi replied, "I do, and they're interested in you too if you want to join."

She put a kind of comforting hand on Alex's.

Alex pushed, "first of all? Explain they to me."

Gigi gulped nervously some.

Gigi revealed nervously, "all I know is that these powerful beings call themselves the Identity and can shift through dreams."

Alex assumed, "so... We're stuck in dreams?"

Gigi nodded.

Gigi continued, "according to the Identity? There are very few like themselves who have retained their full identities and mobility."

Alex pointed out, "so, it's not just me… Alex? My name, right?"

Gigi lightly patted Alex's hand.

Then... Gigi moved her hand away.

Gigi remarked in agreement, "good thing our personalities and names stuck. Or, we'd be truly lost from unconsciousness."

And... Past the slightly cold look on her face?

She sounded cheerful.

That tone from Gigi sent shivers down Alex's spine.

But... At least for now?

She still couldn't quite remember why.


	3. Shadows of the Deep

**Part 2:**

Alex drummed her fingers on the table delicately.

Alex thought out loud, "right before I form a conclusion... What would bringing this full meaning of joy entail with who you're working for?"

Gigi deduced confidently, "simply an overlapping balance of tricks and counteractive tricks in replacement of civil justice."

Alex gave a approving look.

She commented, "crime blended equally with law? This is a legendary undertaking."

She darkly smiled.

She put her fingers away from view.

Gigi darkly grinned.

She implied, "I take it your answer is just as thought out?"

Alex assured her, "I'd be proud to join the cause."

She offered her hand to Gigi.

Gigi shook it positively.

Gigi assured her back, "you won't regret it."

With partial alarm?

Alex suddenly heard something.

Alex wondered, "hold on: What was that?"

The two glanced around warily.

They saw the ice start melting...to the cycling flames and steam around them.

A miscellaneous pair of shadows shone from the other side of the fire.

They were charging towards them with quarterstaffs.

Gigi realized, "those aren't the Identity!"

She and Alex looked wide eyed in shock.

Alex's smile faded. So has Gigi's grin.

Alex cried out tensely, "run!"

The two unorthodox friends sprinted towards the edge of a vaporizing glacier.

The stalkers were giving chase.

Gigi and Alex split off onto neighboring afloat glaciers.

The shadow figures leaped to an ice sheet in the middle.

Their figures were masked by the ongoing flames among the glaciers themselves.

Gigi shifted nervously away from the rising flames.

She took a heavy breath.

She was crawling below the smoke.

Alex kicked off the back of the aflame iceberg she was standing on.

She was gaining speed over the melting stream.

One fighter struck a quarterstaff against the center glacier.

The fighter was using it as direct leverage to edge the center glacier closer.

A vaguely familiar voice called out, "get down!"

The middle glacier ended up cracking to the point of exploding from the apparent flames.

The impact was propelling the tumbling fighters closer to their targets.

Gigi called out in fear, "Alex!!"

She was getting teary eyed.

Gigi was on a barely existent glacier.

A mounting tidal wave was charging too fast to jump away from.

Alex called back nervously, "Gigi! I'm coming!!"

She passed from drifting ice block to ice block as if they were mere stepping stones.

She was running straight for the tide.

She tumbled onto an ice disk.

She was grabbing on tight...as it got caught up in the wave.

And... On instinct?

Alex lowered her soaked feet to grips with Gigi's underarms.

Alex swung her legs up to launch her to safety.

Gigi tumble landed onto a distant snowbank.

Gigi commented, "Alex?! Those were my armpits! That's gross."

Alex pffted.

Alex argued back, "Gigi? Stop whining. We're in dreams! We don't need deodorant here anyway!"

They both slightly glared at each other.

Suddenly... Alex lost her grip on the ice disc.

Alex realized, "oh no."

She looked wide eyed in shock.

She was sinking into the water.

And... A fighter nearly missed her with a quarterstaff.

The fighter slipped on the ice disk.

With a big splash?

He vanished.

Alex's spirit was rammed out of the wave.

She was gurgling in the wave.

She was spiraling into unconsciousness.

She was landing on a newly formed glacier piece.

The second but blurred fighter was about to swoop its hand at Alex's neck.

But... With her last ounce of strength?

Alex tugged this hand over the glacier's edge.

She coughed out water.

She was soon breathing again.

But... In as short a time?

She was lying head up against the glacier in unconsciousness.

Through her hard coughs?

Alex faintly saw a blurred figure.

The figure was looking down at her:

As if she already lost this war of thought.


	4. Justin's Space Land

**Part 3:**

Approximately 50 minutes after the mental bang(originating at Variety Court, physical nighttime)…

A familiar voice asked, "What…what's going on?"

Justin Russo rubbed his eyes instinctively.

He was making sure there wasn't something in his eye for either eye.

He looked wide eyed in shock.

He gasped in shocking disbelief at the scene he found himself in.

Justin found himself looking at the random darkness and glares of space itself.

The contrasts were seeming to cancel each other out in matters of perception.

Justin exclaimed nervously, "how can this be?! There's not supposed to be oxygen here!"

He took a sniff of the area to check.

Justin realized, "and yet there is. Maybe this is all in my head."

For a moment?

He smiled in mixed relief.

Then... He noticed something even stranger

Justin deduced in mixed beliefs, "okay then. What's an arcade console doing in the middle of nowhere?"

And... Indeed there was.

Ironically? The arcade console was the only physical object in Justin's proximity…and no random floating either.

The arcade console had white coloring with black controls and a smoke colored screen.

Justin sighed deeply in reluctance.

Justin reasoned, "this may not be real at all. But the only memory... If memory at all that I have now... Is my name Justin. This device may be the answer to more."

He went on to assure himself, "in fact? It seems most likely that I suffered some kind of concussion since I must be at least multiple years old with no recollections. Not even what toys I played with as a child. Moderate sigh. But... Exploring within dreams is a way to pick up the pieces because of how much they draw on experiences and desires from within."

Justin smiled some in mixed feelings.

He glanced at the buttons and double set of mini-joysticks on the arcade console.

Yet... There were puzzlingly only 5 buttons.

They each had a label with one letter:

O, A, R, N, and Y.

Around one joystick was the letters A-M in a ring. The other was consisting of N-Z.

Yet... No on/off switch to be found.

Justin looked fairly confused.

He deduced, "the pieces of my memory must be really split…for this symbol to represent so many questions and answers."

He glanced around the surroundings for some hint of what to do.

He moderately sighed in frustration.

He muttered, "darn it! Guess we're...or I am back to the beginning. Deep sigh! Why can't I remember my own family?"

Justin paused.

He took a few seconds to collect himself.

Then... He got a idea.

He smiled a little.

With slight attitude alteration?

Justin reasoned, "or…are we?"

He cautiously pressed the N button.

And... To Justin's relief?

The screen for the arcade console came online.

A computerized voice sounded, "password required."

Then... Justin heard something.

He looked worried.

He turned straight for the direction of the sound.

And... He looked wide eyed in fear.

He saw a big asteroid coming...coming right at his body a distance away.

It was like a boulder tumbling down a hilltop.

But... It had a comet tail that begun to unnaturally consume the mass.

Justin groaned in frustration into his hands.

Justin said, "come on! The answer must be in plain sight due to lack of information of oneself."

And... With only one guess that seemed closest to fact?

Justin used the joysticks to display his name on the screen.

The screen repeated, "password required."

To Justin's frustration?

The asteroid was halfway there.

Justin figured, "wait: It must have an enter button, or the attempt would be erased. Now...which button is it?"

He turned his attention back to the buttons nervously.

He thought out loud, "it can't be the button that turns it on. Yet, there must be a theme with these buttons for it to be truly logical."

Justin already ruled out his own name. No other button label from the arcade console matches.

It was also mixed of consonants and vowels. No pattern there.

Justin assumed, "letters are parts of words. They must be part of a word or multiple."

He hurriedly tried matching all the letters O, A, R, N, and Y together several times to make a word.

But... No single word came close but yarn.

The asteroid's heat was beginning to be felt by Justin.

This added to his inner heated turmoil of panic.

And... In equal counteraction?

Justin lightly realized, "of course! The only yarn here is strings of space, and the only knot here is the Big Bang itself. This almost total absence of matter merely highlights my missing facts…represented by the simplistic questions of life! Therefore, who, what, where, when, and why...are symbolized."

His spirit was feeling inflamed by nearly completely turning into steam.

And... With a outstretched arm out of the steam cloud?

Justin quickly pressed the O button.

To Justin's relief?

The arcade console literally shifted him out of range of the asteroid in time.

Furthermore... The arcade console was transforming in shape into an escape pod.

Justin looked wide eyed in amazement.

A buckled seat branched out from the morphing machine is what carried him to safety.

Justin looked wide eyed in amazement at the escape pod around him.

The computer screen had converted into a windshield without wipers.

The internal parts had combined into a small rocket engine within this pod. 

Justin chuckled in relief.

The asteroid unnaturally exploded...away from him.

The pod was propelled forward by the external acceleration.

Justin reactively held on to the armrests of his escape pod.

Somewhat tensely... Justin muttered, "now what?"

He caught sight of a moving asteroid field...made up of space fireballs.

In a second?

He caught sight of a video game joystick.

He reached for it just in time to steer the pod past the moving asteroid field.

Justin barely made it through.

Fulfillment was in his eyes.

He concluded, "I'm on my way home."

He smiled.

Just then... A wormhole had formed around Justin.

It was accelerating the craft into a blur of light.

Justin reactively covered his eyes from the bright flash of light.

He groaned.

Suddenly... He heard a different voice.

Compared to the computer voice? It was more humane.

The voice uneasily chuckled some.

The voice suggested, "well...not fully."

Justin asked cautiously, "who are you?"

His smile faded.

The voice remarked, "someone who's telling you you can open your eyes now."

Justin rubbed his eyes and opened them again.

The pod and the light? All gone.

In fact... There was only a plane of endless darkness before him.

Justin inquired, "I don't see you. Where are you?"

The voice insisted, "if I choose to reveal my identity within this disturbing time at a better time? You'll find out Justin."

Justin commented nervously, "then...it's not just me trapped in my own body. Is it?"

A figure forming its own white outline was facing him.

The figure chuckled.

In impressive expression?

The figure pointed out, "not exactly the way I'd phrase it. But, everyone does seem to be stuck inside their dreams."

Justin deduced nervously, "then you're not…confined to your brain?"

The figure answered, "we're now in it Justin...lying inactive until my soul activates it again."

The figure sounded amused.

Justin was looking nervously toward the figure.

And... In his growing nervousness?

Justin wondered, "how...is that possible?"


	5. Thoughtful Terms

**Part 4:**

The figure explained vaguely, "few of us have strong enough mental strength to maintain ourselves to a higher degree through whatever keeps us inside our minds."

Justin checked, "couldn't you physically awaken whenever you wanted to?"

He sounded unsure though.

The figure pointed out sadly, "not even these few of us could...even if we wanted to."

Justin sighed sadly.

He said, "I'm sorry."

Somewhat casually... The figure insisted, "I don't believe you're responsible for us being kept inside our minds. But... Thank you."

Justin added, "you're welcome."

He smiled a little over that.

Justin suggested, "then... What can we do?"

The figure hinted, "actually... There is a bigger threat from within."

Justin looked worried.

He sincerely offered, "how can I help?"

The figure added in higher spirits, "well... A benefactor group called the Community is forming to counteract an imposing faction called the Identity. If you want to contribute to their efforts? Then..."

Justin reasoned, "then I want to join. A good community is stronger than hate."

Then... A smile outlined itself on the figure's face.

The figure revealed, "you've just met the leader of the Community."

Justin looked wide eyed in shock.

Nearly speechless... He checked, "then…why…all the mystery…in the first place?"

The figure remarked, "in the realm of minds... Anything rarely is predictable."

Justin deduced, "you were testing me to see if I was Community material."

The figure nodded.

The figure added, "but I had a sense of knowing the answer already...ever since I was the console."

That made Justin shake some in nervousness.

He tried to focus.

With mixed feelings... Justin wondered, "you mean you can…transform?"

The being chuckled.

The being revealed, "in this realm... My psychic powers are simply upgraded physicality originating from my already apparent mentality."

Justin concluded in understanding, "so...stronger mentality equals stronger dream control. Dreams here are influenced by thought instead of physique."

The figure replied, "exactly."

Justin inquired, "do you also happen to be the son or daughter of a restaurant owner or sandwich shop owner? Because, I... I'm beginning to remember that my family owns a sandwich shop."

The being chuckled.

The being kind of cryptically answered, "no. But...let's just say I'm good friends with her."

Justin lightly added, "really? That is interesting."

The being added, "yeah. Also kind of a long story of a episode."

They both chuckled some.

Then... They both remembered what they're doing here.

Justin nervously sighed.

Justin inquired, "about stronger mentality? Does that include stronger sense of oneself?"

The figure commented, "good guess. Moderate sigh. Unfortunately... Both the Community and the Identity's main operatives have both qualities. Why else could the Identity be a threat if they couldn't leave their own minds?"

Justin looked uneasy.

He considered, "yeah, I...I guess that fits too well. However... If that's the case? Then why are both teams branching out to recruit other individuals?"

The figure pointed out, "even the Identity can't fully manipulate dreams. Neither can I."

A slight frown outlined itself over its face.

Justin argued, "but at the same time... People with similar abilities can control their own brains."

The figure retorted, "just not other people's. Other people's brains? They... Moderate sigh. They merely anticipate a mind invader's thoughts as a random dream obstacle. Sometimes dreamt obstacles are drawn from our tastes and experiences, and sometimes traces of similar thoughts originated from prior generations enter our thoughts despite no prior knowledge on them."

Justin added, "or even an instinct drawn from familiarity with another."

The figure concluded thoughtfully, "maybe. The idea of recruitment here is to strengthen overall dream control for maximum success for whichever side you're on. It's a kind of fun but crazy mind game."

Justin nervously gulped.

He wondered curiously, "then... What could I do to contribute to the Community's success chances? You saw I barely made it out from your mental test, and that wasn't even fighting anyone else."

The figure went hmm.

The figure suggested, "I understand, Justin. But... Faint chuckle. You can still help. You seem like a good talker. How about active recruiter duty?"

Justin smiled.

With mixed feelings... He assured the representative, "thank you. It'd be an honor. But... I can't travel from mind to mind."

A smile outlined itself over the figure's face.

The figure remarked, "the best thing of being able to fully control your own brain from within is that you can transform your brain into anything you wish…including a material way of mind transportation for you. I haven't forgotten. You're in good hands with the Community."

Justin responded happily, "thank you for the assurance. I'll do my best."

And... In strong accord?

The two shook hands.


	6. Not To Be a Breeze for Masterminds

**Part 5:**

Minutes after Alex encountered Gigi…

Alex lost her grip on the ice disc.

Alex realized, "oh no."

She looked wide eyed in shock.

She was sinking into the water.

And... A fighter nearly missed her with a quarterstaff.

The fighter slipped on the ice disk.

With a big splash?

He vanished.

But... For what Alex didn't notice around the time? 

There was a miniature wormhole between the tide and the water front...forming an unorthodox hourglass shaped whirlpool.

The figure was slipping on the ice disk.

But... It was in a spiral in accordance to the atmospheric change within the aquatic hourglass.

Alex's spirit was rammed out of the wave.

But... Not by a slip of the staff.

The wormhole's gravitational effects had the unintentional counter effect of launching Alex out of the morphed wave.

When the swirling wave released her?

The quarterstaff only had the tip near her by inches.

It wouldn't have even gotten that close without a atmospheric disturbance. But, that was mere coincidence.

Alex, rammed by the dream distortion, was spiraling into unconsciousness.

She was landing on a newly formed glacier piece.

The second but blurred fighter was about to swoop its hand at Alex's neck.

But... With her last ounce of strength?

Alex tugged this hand over the glacier's edge.

She coughed out water.

And... Because of her coughing and nearing unconsciousness?

The second wormhole was completely undetected from Alex's perspective.

She was soon breathing again.

But... In as short a time?

She was lying head up against the glacier in unconsciousness.

What Alex faintly saw through the coughs was a third blurred figure.

This blurred figure was completely different from both of the other fighters.

A blur, with whatever details it may conceal, is often indistinguishable with another in a singular perception because of random color. 

Alex naturally perceived this blur as belonging to the same unit of blurred vision that came after her.

But... This wasn't the case.

Instead of a quarterstaff in this blur's hands?

There was a pair of fitted gauntlets. Yet, they were not spiked.

The whirlpool created by the secondary wormhole slingshot the icy pad into the path of two reappearing figures.

With remaining steam clouds of hybrid ice and fire masking their prescene?

It gave the two figures the appearance of shadows.

One figure remarked, "since when do you interfere with our interface with mutual minds?"

A second one counteracted, "actually? We thought we could come to terms with you."

The first figure chuckled some.

The figure figured asked, "what could you possibly offer me?"

The third figure checked, "are you not their leader?"

The first figure hinted, "and what would you suggest to him or her?"

The third figure hinted back, "about an alliance."

The first figure deduced in retaliation, "you sure don't sound confident for a talker."

The second figure commented, "conflict is hardly ever desired."

The first figure wondered, "are you sure you didn't come to sign up with me and my team?"

The third figure realized, "you are the Identity's leader."

The first figure nodded.

The first figure went on, "I'm not asking the same question again. You don't like it? Whatever."

The second figure pointed out, "whether indeed we came to join the Identity or rejoice in more compact mutualism among groups..."

The first figure sighed annoyedly.

The Identity leader reasoned, "please. I didn't come for school or Hakuna Matata. Just tell me already!"

The third figured sighed uneasily.

Mostly unphased sounding... The second figure asked, "can't we settle this in a more stable area? We'll all be sinking in the waters in this dream if..."

The Identity leader annoyedly sighed.

The Identity leader replied, "fine. On one condition."

The third figure asked uneasily, "what is it?"

The Identity leader answered, "I get to bring this unconscious body with me as a representative."

The third figure inquired, "and the body in the snow?"

The Identity leader chuckled.

The Identity leader insisted, "let's say for now she knows how to get around."

The second figure implied, "recruiter?"

The Identity figure had the faint outline of a smile sticking out of its shadow.

The Identity figure commented, "even within dreams, you never cease to get me."

Somewhat uneasily... The third figure interrupted, "we'll all be gotten by the water if we don't hurry up!"

The Identity leader sighed in acknowledgment.

The Identity leader opened up a wormhole around the group of spirits.

A wave barely missed the vanishing figures.

It crashed through a patch of thin ice...which shattered it.

A short enough while after(physically morning after mental bang)…

The third figure asked, "Where have you taken us?"

The Identity leader laughed.

But... Just as quick?

The Identity leader implied, "to the only place no one would dare think to look for."

The second figure commented, "I can't even comprehend it to think it."

For the two Community representatives and the Identity leader?

They were then in a even more abstract brain was here.

There was a white sky....with lightning colored clouds.

There wasn't even the glow of a sun.

The representatives were unnaturally standing on one of these clouds.

It was raining bubbles upwards.

The second figure remarked, "what are we going to do next? Take out a lightning bolt and hope God doesn't care about it?"

The Identity leader laughed hard some.

The Identity leader retaliated verbally, "just be patient like a good little raven and we'll be there shortly. Okay?"


	7. Hurricane Ambition is Coming

**Part 6:**

All of a sudden... The cloud expanded upward.

A blanket of bubbles was compacted around the conscious trio.

The third figure cried out, "shield your eyes!"

The trio reflexively put their arms in front of their faces.

Multiple pops were coming and going around them.

Water volume equal to a hot air balloon's open space was hurled at them from all directions.

But... As quick as it started?

It stopped.

The figures uncovered their eyes to see a complete background change.

And... Yet?

It was with a sky just as complex and entertaining as the previous scenery.

Multiple shades of blue twirled around each other like outstretched whirlpools. Yet, the sky's surroundings didn't have a drop of water on them.

Then again... To their amazement?

The Community representatives didn't have a drop of water on them either.

The Identity leader didn't have a drop of water on oneself either.

But... The outline of a smile on the figure's face was only slightly.

The outlines of smiles of relief on the Community representatives's faces was wider.

But... Theirs quickly faded.

The second figure suspiciously checked, "uh-huh. A little too good. You sure this isn't a trap?"

The Identity leader retorted, "doubt is not a luxury here."

They both crossed their arms tensely while looking at each other.

Kind of nervously... The third figure suggested, "what's Maximum Quality?"

The second figure asked back, "huh?"

The third figure was pointed to a sign.

The sign was forming from swirling water spraying from above...which spelled out Maximum Quality.

The first figure commented, "very good."

Max Russo came out to join them.

He was materializing...out from the compacting sign made from waterworks.

He asked randomly, "you like my brain?"

The Identity leader insisted, "actually Max? This is more business than pleasure."

Max remarked cheerfully, "hey…my pleasure is your business, and my business is your pleasure."

The third figure wondered, "is Max an Identity member?"

Max chuckled.

He replied, "no. Actually? I'm my own neutral party."

The second figure insisted, "explain. Now."

The Identity leader deduced, "I can. He's a supplier to both the Identity and the Community…for a fee."

The Identity leader chuckled a little.

Not so lightly... The second figure urged, "yeah. Uh-huh. And, what's a supplier got to do with allying?"

Max threatened, "well... If you anger the supplier that keeps your teams alive? Let's say it's contradictory to your health."

He warningly glared.

The second figure gulped nervously some.

The third figure concluded, "hormone rations?"

The Identity leader confirmed, "to be real? Hormone drinks."

The second figure challenged, "interesting. But, if someone found out about these drinks... Wouldn't you be out of business?"

Max counteracted, "two different individual distributors, same source: Me. I can cut off their supply at will if they attack me and strengthen myself with it."

He all too lightly smiled wide.

The second figure asked, "hold up. You can manipulate your dreams at leisure?"

The second figure sounded both not amused and amused at the same time.

Max responded in equal amusement, "and I neither have the need nor the power to leave my brain."

The third figure commented, "ok...ay. Must be a one in a billion case."

The first figure interceded in impatience, "anyway... We came to see about a hormone boost."

Max pointed out, "if you wanted second doses? You could wait in line like everyone else."

The Identity figure explained further, "not us: The entire dream population."

The third figure argued, "are you mad? It could overwhelm physical processes by overdoses!"

Max grumbled, "not to mention my pleasure profit."

The second figure debated, "shaping dreams can't also apply to compressing hormone volume and nutrition?"

The third figure laughed a little in amusement at that.

The Identity leader pressured, "well Max?"

Max looked amused.

Max retaliated, "you know...since we're talking about theoretical brain awakening for the world? I'll need a much more personal request physically fulfilled to rebalance the favor. Even I got to eat and stuff in this dreamland."

The second figure resolved, "a draw?"

The third figure suspected, "it's his fulfillment that I'm worried about."

He sounded suspicious.

The Identity leader offered, "my pleasurable company in dreamland."

Past the cloudly blur around her? There were hints of her polished nails from her outstretched hand.

The second figure exclaimed, "what?!"

Max figured, "hmm… It's a date."

The Identity leader let Max hold her hand.

The third figure realized grimly, "we've been played."

The second figure added, "you think?!"

The Identity leader laughed.

The Identity leader retorted, "What are you complaining about? I bet the distributors aren't taken yet."

The second figure retorted back, "or too soon will be."

Max suggested, "you say that now. But... Who's to say our mental powers will be physically carried with us?"

He gave the two Community representatives a somewhat doubtful look.

A outline of a tense glare formed on the second figure's face.

The Identity leader just impatiently waved her free arm some.

The third figure contemplated, "huh… Max has a point. Even if we had powers like these in our bodies as well as in mind? Our physical bodies seem to have taken a serious enough toll that most likely would cancel them out externally."

The second figure argued, "please! I'm not going to say who. But, some of us have been psychic already. So, what if our bodies lose psychic abilties in the physical world? Some people weren't meant to be psychic. I don't make the rules!"

Everyone else sighed annoyedly at that thought.

The Identity leader insisted, "come on: Seriously?! Moderate sigh. Our minds would need assistance from more of our voluntary thoughts to keep carrying out the kind of control we have over ourselves now. It doesn't matter what world we walk in. There'd be no dream control if only our minds are intact and not our bodies to some degree. Ugh! Why do I keep talking technical like this?! I don't care for class. I miss my body!"

The Identity leader sighed loudly and annoyedly.

The second figure laughed hard at that.

The third figure deduced, "but... More hormones mean our bodies would keep producing them: Even after retaining physique control. And, then... It would spiral out of..."

The second figure concluded grimly, "so... Desires would exceed...rational?"

The second figure realized, "oh...snap!"

The Identity leader devilishly grinned.

The Identity leader figured, "I guess it'd be hypocritical to keep you here in our cause for independence. But...I'm afraid you won't live to see my revised order."

Max inputted, "I'm with you on that one."

He and the Identity leader darkly smiled to each other.

The Identity leader kissed his hand.

Then... The Identity leader suggested, "let's take them."

The Community figures drew out their quarterstaffs....ready to fight.


	8. The Dream Cloud Factory Fight

**Part 7:**

The Identity leader cried out determinedly.

The two Community representatives barely blocked her clenched fists in gauntlets...coming right for them.

Max and the Identity leader split up so the Identity leader could have both gauntlets ready to fight.

Max stretched out his hands.

He was calling upon the water to become practically an watery exoskeleton for him.

And... Through some of the reflections of the watery exoskeleton?

The Identity leader turned out to be a certain young woman with blond highlights and dark brown hair...accompanying her twisted persona.

It was Alana Rivera.

The third figure wedged one's own staff under Identity leader Alana's arm.

The third figure was swinging the other side of the staff up toward her head.

The second figure used one's own staff as a pole to propel oneself towards Alana.

Identity Leader Alana laughed.

She raised her shoulders up at both Community representatives' necks.

The third figure's staff fell to the ground. So did the figure.

The third figure was coughing loudly and gasping for air.

The second figure's staff went flying.

The second figure's spirit body hit the transparent floor.

The second figure was gasping for air.

Max's personal water body shot up in a powerful leap.

He was lunging at the two fallen bodies for a final blow.

Forgotten Alex Russo was slowly returning to consciousness on the transparent floor.

She instinctively was grabbing the fallen staff on the floor.

Suddenly... The flung staff bounced off of the picked up staff.

With not yet having full vision? Alex jumped to a assumption.

Alex rammed the staff in hand at the heads of the adjacent familiar blurs on the floor.

She also glared toward them.

She exclaimed, "and stay down!"

The bounced off staff hit Max's body.

Max groaned hard some.

He fell to the ground.

But... He was still conscious.

He impulsively extended his water body like thin tentacles towards the two Community figures.

In the process?

He was accidentally picking up the staff headed for their heads.

Alex kicked the two Community representatives away...thinking they were attacking her again.

With the side kicks?

The two Community representatives landed on their sides.

They groaned hard some.

But... Their breaths were slowly returning.

With the angle of their landings?

Their slowly returning breathing was unknown to anyone else.

With Alex happening to be in the path of Max's watery exoskeleton?

Max was in the midst of crashing his water body like thin tentacles at Alex too.

But... Identity leader Alana called out, "Max, don't! She's one of us."

Max's full vision came just then.

He was just noticing Alex struggling to get free from his grasp.

Max looked wide eyed in shock.

He apologized, "sorry, dear. I just reacted."

Max lowered Alex to the floor with his watery exoskeleton arms.

Alex was back on her feet.

Alex sighed in mixed relief.

Alex added, "thanks."

While this misunderstanding was clearing up?

The Community figures teleported away with wormholes.

Alana told Max, "It's okay. I'm not going to leave you, Max. Especially not before we can complete our bargain."

Alana put a comforting hand on his.

Max darkly smiled.

Max confidently said to the Identity leader, "I can wait for you after."

Alana looked twistedly amused.

Before she could say something though?

Alex asked sarcastically, "waterworks here sprung a leak?"

Max remarked, "more like sabotage from a restrictive duo of beings representing the Community."

His smiled faded some.

Alex remarked, "need a repairwoman? Because I could..."

Identity leader Alana slyly smiled.

Alana darkly assured, "I'm sure I can provide the address. I'll tell you soon. But, I could protect you better if you stay by me."

Alex just darkly smiled some.

She looked somewhat uncomfortable in her presence. But, she didn't say anything.

Identity leader Alana turned back to Max.

Alana suggested, "Max? You can try to find me. I'll be impressed if you do without knowing my name."

She twistedly smiled some.

Max twistedly considered, "all the more reason for me to capture one of them. I'd find out then."

Identity leader Alana slightly glared at that. She knew too well what Community representative he wanted to ask.

Identity leader Alana said, "like I said? You can try to find me."

She told Alex where to go next.

Then... Identity leader Alana walked over to another lightning cloud.

She was getting a hormone drink to cool off some.

Alex realized, "you really like her, don't you?"

Somewhat nervous... Max said, "maybe."

Alex chuckled.

Alex reflected, "same old Max. I remember now: That you were always falling for the bad girls."

Max retorted, "but you teamed up with Gigi!"

They both looked surprised at each other.

Alex admitted, "yeah. All too good a point. Nervous gulp. Max? I...I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She put a comforting hand on Max's.

They both smiled some.

Max insisted, "I won't. But... Thanks Alex."

Alex added, "sure. Good luck out there."

Max added, "you too, Alex."

They both nodded.

Then... Alex went to find Alana to get a wormhole to her next dream battlefield.


	9. Jeffery's Glass Theater

**Part 8:**

A few hours after the Maximum Quality meeting(2.2 days since mental bang)…

A voice said, "What…what happened?"

A figure got to his feet.

He glanced around, expecting some clue.

But... Out of the cloak of absolute blend of color.

None came to him.

Only his short black hair and sturdy features were noticeable.

But,... He soon assured himself that he was Jeffery.

Jeffery thought out loud, "I was last at a theater…I think."

Suddenly... Blurred colored of his hair and skin spread out in a confusing blur of chaos.

Jeffery looked wide eyed in shock.

He tried to run.

But... The blur was emitting from him.

He called out, "whoever you are…get off!"

The colors shot forward...carrying Jeffery with them.

He was heading towards a prism.

He instinctively pushed himself to run to the left of the prism.

He sighed with great relief.

He was losing the prism.

But... Mirrors were coming up ahead.

Jeffery gulped nervously.

But... Before the mirrors could imprison him?

He swung off of the edges.

Jeffery's momentum was carrying him towards another prism above.

He deduced determinedly, "time to end this."

To get enough balance for his next move?

Jeffery slowed down for a second.

He kicked the prism into pieces...and not a second sooner.

The eerie background vanished in an instant.

Jeffery smiled in satisfaction.

Just as quickly... The scene completely changed.

Jeffery was in a ballroom completely made of colored glass mosaics. The floor and ceiling were unnervingly made up of glass.

Jeffery observed, "hm. Why do they seem so familiar?"

In the mosaics were patterns of what resembled similar pieces of Jeffery's style and deeply rooted interests:

Alll with decades worth of varied age, gender, and time periods.

He noticed something else queer.

There weren't any furniture or doors.

Yet... Something seemed to pulse within the glass pillars.

Jeffery looked somewhat nervous.

Jeffery figured, "it's the best shot I got."

He punched the nearest pillar below the encased giant cocoon.

And... It let out a pocket of gases from its side.

Jeffery knelt down to tumble away in time from the pocket of gases.

Strangely... The gases compacted into what seemed to be a crystal ball.

It discharged a spread of green lasers...blasting the pillars completely apart.

Jeffery covered his ears on the floor to avoid going deaf.

He also groaned some.

Then... Out of the pillars came a swirling rainbow of colors.

It lit the mosaic room into bright light.

Jeffery shut his eyes against the flare.

He reactively groaned some.

Then... He opened them again.

He saw a shining glare suddenly emitting under his feet.

He got to his feet in frustration.

And... He saw a stranger setting.

Somewhat nervously... He called out, "who are you?!"

From the prismatic cage of murals?

The characters were standing next to him in one second.

The next second?

Their colors were more blurred and intermixed.

Remaining leftover colors just spun around...as though they were in a blender of paint without meaning or repercussion.

All the while? Out from this bizarre color fusion?

Jeffery saw a mirror version of himself.

Jeffery was wide eyed in shock.

The mirror Jeffery retorted, "what you'll become."

He smiled a little.

Jeffery commented, "but...the only thing I know is the word Jeffery. Is it my name then?"

The second Jeffery chuckled.

He reasoned, "you catch on quick."

The first Jeffery inquired, "and what do I reel in?"

The second Jeffery smiled.

He kind of cryptically said, "what you want to take with you."


	10. One Step at a Time, Huh?

**Part 9:**

Jeffery 1 voiced a hunch, "a persona?"

Jeffery 2 muttered, "so close."

Jeffery 1 guessed, "personality?"

The second Jeffery nodded.

He added, "time for personal evaluation."

The first Jeffery challenged, "if I don't know who I'll be and you're me... How can you know more than myself?"

The second Jeffery smiled in fair admiration.

He hinted, "in a way? We're different and yet the same."

The first Jeffery concluded, "same mind?"

The second Jeffery grinned.

He implied, "same dream."

Jeffery 1 questioned nervously, "and…you're my conscience?"

The second Jeffery shook his head.

He looked a little amused though.

He continued, "more like a psychic echo of generations of lives."

The first Jeffery assumed, "intense social studies?"

Jeffery 2 chuckled some.

He hinted, "close enough."

Jeffery 1 suggested, "then could I be contributory to society?"

The second Jeffery pointed out, "it does have a certain familiarity. But... You know? That could just be from a past life."

The first Jeffery smiled a little at that.

The first Jeffery remarked, "no time like the present to reboot the past."

Jeffery 2 offered a hand.

He said, "good luck."

He smiled a little.

Although... When the two touched hands to shake on it?

The secondary Jeffery transformed into a ball of water.

And... Before the primary Jeffery could deduce what just registered in his near disbelieving senses?

The second Jeffery seemed to vaporize right through the primary Jeffery's skin.

Jeffery smiled in inner acknowledgment.

Then... He saw a green flash go off like a homing beacon.

And... Suddenly?

Justin materialized from the flash before Jeffery's eyes.

Justin greeted, "hello."

He kind of nervously waved.

Jeffery questioned warily, "what are you?"

Justin assured, "I'm a human like you…with some mental help."

He smiled a little.

Jeffery looked nervous.

Jeffery wondered, "are...we all caged in our own thoughts?"

They both gulped nervously.

Justin figured, "well... That's definitely one way to put it."

Jeffery offered, "how about we unlock the barrier to reality?"

Justin looked slightly amused.

He insisted, "sorry. But, that's not happening soon. One step at a time, umm..."

Jeffery filled in the blank, "Jeffery."

They both smiled a little.

The recruiter responded, "I'm Justin. A member of the Community."

Jeffery added, "nice to meet you Justin. Even with the very weird dreamland."

Justin added, "thank you."

He chuckled a little.

Jeffery checked in confusion, "Justin? You sure there's only one Community?"

Justin begun explaining, "in here? Desires sprout stronger drive to the point of materialized rushes in most people…"

Jeffery finished grimly, "...and so few goals or cultures in between."

Justin replied grimly, "right. And, that's why the Community needs all the help they can get with a scary alliance called the Identity."

They both nervously sighed.

Jeffery assured, "you have my full support."

Justin deduced, "more than you know. It wasn't just us here."

Jeffery sounded a little shook.

He added, "Yes. I...I'm starting to get the picture."

Yet... They both smiled.

Another green flash formed under their feet.

It was taking the two hopefuls beyond Jeffery's restrictive physical body...and towards their next destination.


	11. Cloaked Foreshadows

**Part 10:**

About 52 physical hours since the mental bang(3 hours in mind time)…

Jeffery thought out loud, "I was last at a theater…I think."

Suddenly... Blurred colored of his hair and skin spread out in a confusing blur of chaos.

Jeffery looked wide eyed in shock.

He tried to run.

But... The blur was emitting from him.

He called out, "whoever you are…get off!"

The colors shot forward...carrying Jeffery with them.

But... These colors weren't just scenery.

They were mind obstacles...formed from enough wormhole transports to disrupt the waves of light that make up the prismatic color of white.

With no previous meaning of gravity here? They were mind obstacles in a void.

Countless figures were lost in visibility by the temperamental shades of color...fighting with familiar quarterstaffs and gauntlets across the forming mind spectrum.

Cries echoed in a spectrum that only the criers could hear...in the chaos of battle.

They called out and cried out, "For the Community! Bring back their Identity! Preserve yourselves! For freedom!"

Some very familiar faces were engaged in facing adversaries.

And, yet? They were not exactly familiar to themselves.

Justin had teleported to Jeffery's brain with the hope of recruiting another hopeful Community member.

But... That was during the formation of the colorful hazards.

A completely motionless figure was knocked out of perception by a spinning kick.

It blurred out of sight in its cry.

Justin tumbled out of range.

Justin exclaimed, "what the…?!"

And... He got up to see Alex glaring straight at him.

This was while Alex was swinging her elbow into another Community member.

She was wearing movable nanoshields across her elbows and knees. They were made up of leather padding straps chained to small metal plates.

With some frustration... Alex shot back, "what does it look like?!"

Justin gulped nervously.

Justin replied grimly, "I don't want to hurt you. But, I have to think of the Community."

Alex just chuckled cruelly.

She challenged, "with no weapon but your word, recruiter?"

She looked amused.

Justin annoyedly glared.

He retorted, "when a dream has enough desires to exceed its original desire? Thought is all we'll need."

Alex replied, "agreed... Provided I get to raise the stakes."

The colors around Alex and Justin begun to spiral around them. They were shifting into a more solid dimension of its own.

Justin reluctantly asked, "and...what would these stakes take if I lose?"

Alex gave him a all too cool smile.

She answered, "civilization's split of order and chaos…forever."

Justin nearly broke out in shivers at the piercing phrase.

He wondered, "what?! And what gives you that right? You're not even their leader!"

Alex chuckled hard, doubling over.

Justin looked really annoyed.

He swung his quarterstaff toward her.

But... Even while looking down?

Alex easily knocked it back with a nanoshield around her elbow.

Alex looked up...almost like nothing happened.

Alex commented, "being the honorary members representative of the parallel lines along the road gives us the right to guide our sides to our final destination."

Justin firmly nodded a little at that.

Justin concluded, "we agree that much. You will the unidentified leaders of the Identity to come, and so I must follow a related course to lay out the pavement."

Alex smiled bittersweetly.

Alex told him, "may the firmest intent win."

Justin smirked a little on that.

And... Out of the rivals's united emotions of tension and insight?

A prism formed towards their close and yet distant intents.

This is where the match that would give the symbolic figures enlightenment would ignite...whether Justin or Alex won for their fighting alliances.

In response to the directors directing their forces telepathically to watch the fated point within the arena? The colors shot forward.

Even the disrupted spectrum has cowered before the disruption of the mind invaders.

Here... Only a victory within the souls of Identity and Community could determine their own fate.


	12. The Prism Run Remixed

**Part 11:**

Jeffery, within the whirlpool of color, was circling towards the prism.

But... He perceived it as moving straight for this pocket dimension.

He instinctively pushed himself to run to the left of the prism.

He sighed with great relief.

He was losing the prism.

That is...until spirals formed and circled around from the sentient audience.

They were expectantly gathered again around the inevitable spectacle.

Apparently... Dream figures were still trying to find their seats.

This led to creating narrow paths for Jeffery to follow in the blurred crowd.

Due to the crowd's blended rush to find good views? Jeffery just saw these onlookers as clouds keen on swallowing him up.

And... So?

He treated the seemingly transparent blobs as such obstacles.

He gasped in breath and alarm.

Blobs of figures with more layers of visibility than ever expected charged past the crowded blurs.

They were charging towards Jeffery's path.

These blobs gave off the appearance of reflective mirrors.

They were coming up ahead...trying to imprison Jeffery.

But... Before they could imprison him?

He swung off of some of the blobs of figures.

Strangely... The figures within the mirror blobs paid him no attention.

They maintained their course towards the prism:

As if nothing else mattered or gave them anything that matters than finding seats.

Among the crowd of still watchers were fading figures...gasping for air.

The collective of passive onlookers were just starting to take their seats. They were not even sensing the dream bodies that begun to thin out of existence in the path of the mirror blobs.

The sounds of the disappearing act were masked by the sound of snack foods.

There were snack foods appearing at will to the remaining mind figures. They were to be eaten as complementary enhancement to their viewing experience.

Jeffery's momentum was carrying him towards another prism above.

But... It was actually the mirror masked figures forming an attack formation.

They were above the solid prism below.

The attackers somehow launched themselves above the prism as a unified blur.

They were giving off the illusion of a huge reflective prism.

The reflective prism was to Jeffery's perspective:

Because of no one below having enough range to view the same formation.

He deduced, "time to end this."

And... Without realizing it?

Jeffery had ended up launching himself towards the formation.

It was due to impulsively swinging around the formation creators during their launch.

He ended up being propelled towards their falling trap formation...targeted at the arena prism itself.

Jeffery thought he had slowed down enough to have enough balance to kick the prism into pieces.

But... It was really from the approach angle that gave him that sensation of assumption.

The eerie background vanished in an instant to his viewpoint.

Jeffery had actually unintentionally tumbled out of the formation through an unapparent bottom.

And... He had destroyed some figures in the process.

Jeffery shut his eyes against the flare.

He reactively groaned some.

The flare had come from the prism's transformed adjoining light of colors below.

An entire side of the replica like prism was shaken away:

Shaken away from the blobs of figures...and their collective grips on each other.

They were plunging to mental oblivion of surface thoughts from dangerous heights against their intended target.

Shrieks became as accelerated in mind time as the impulsive doomed figures they originated from.

They echoed in an unheard pocket dimension of their own.

Their bodies thinned out into mud puddles.

And... Just as sudden?

They vanished from existence.

And... From an unanticipated ripple of aftereffect?

They suddenly had a lack of needed support to hold up the sides together.

The rest of the mirror cloaked collective formation fell apart.

The figures within the collapsing prism shaped their arrangement instinctively.

They did so to swing off from one another in time.

They were fleeing in flight and retreating to regroup:

Away from this mutated dreamscape.

And... Just as quickly?

The scene completely changed.

Jeffery was transported by a mysterious figure's wormhole to a section of his brain.

This section of his brain has miraculously remained undisturbed.

More specifically? This section was the origin of the collective wormhole disturbance that started the colorful mess encircling it in the first place.

It therefore had made enough gravitational forces to form its own pocket dimension:

Of as sharp of both thoughts and dreaming as from within the prism arena itself.


	13. All The Cloaks Are Coming Off

**Part 12:**

A dream quarter of an hour before prism sneak attack(about mid morning of second day of physical aftermath)…

Alex smiled bittersweetly.

Alex told Justin, "may the firmest intent win."

Justin smirked a little on that.

And... A prism formed out of the rivals's united emotions of tension and insight.

In response to the directors directing their forces telepathically to watch the fated point within the arena? The colors shot forward.

But... Even with the disrupted spectrum cowering before the mind invaders?

The arena was internally quite different than what it seemed to be capable of from outside.

It too was a pocket dimension of dreams and minds. But, one of a more sensitive nature.

Alongside Alex and Justin were the familiar figures seen much earlier.

And... Only then was more figures not so shrouded in mystery.

A young adult with long dark brown hair and equally complex persona stood next to Justin's leader.

Somewhat tense... She asked, "what's the deal, Carly? We were on our way to warn the Community…"

The Community's leader Carly had a singular ponytail. It was stretching from the rest of her black hair to her dark clothed back.

Community leader Carly said, "I sense what you know Raven. But, that could wait until these hormones are realigned."

Raven Baxter gave her a somewhat uncomfortable look.

Carly just smiled a little like "please trust me on this".

Raven smiled a little at that.

On Alex's side?

There was a young adult with a black mullet. He had a suit made of metal from his own cold resolve.

He accused, "realigned? It's you that realigns opinions to suit your own!!"

On Justin's side?

There was a young adult with medium ash blond hair and firmer selflessness.

He commented, "well Marlow? I didn't know your kind had a common belief. Perhaps there's still hope to reunite in peace."

He smiled a little.

On Alex's side?

There was a young adult with red and slightly smaller hair. He was impatiently glowing as bright as a flare at near launch.

He called out, "drop the act, Ben! We know too well how your kind deals with changing views."

He and Marlow were angrily glaring at Ben.

Ben looked somewhat shaken.

But... He just looked straight faced at him.

Kind of lightly... Justin interrupted, "come on, Sparky! Isn't the greatest desire among us all to live and enjoy life?"

He put his arm out toward the swirling colors.

A member of the Identity and members of the Community called out, "yeah!"

Warning glares came from Identity leader Alana and from Alex. They were aimed at Marlow.

He gulped nervously.

Alex scoffed at Justin.

Alex remarked, "and don't we have a far stronger one to enjoy as much willed life as we choose...no matter who tries to take that right away?"

Alex and Alana smirked wide to be like "I already won".

The Community members were glaring back.

Alana added, "Alex? That was so good."

Alex blushed a little.

She said, "aww! Thank you."

But... On Justin's side?

There was a young adult having similar black hair and alert radiance.

He argued, "those who use rights beyond tolerance cannot be righteous."

Identity leader Alana sighed annoyedly.

Identity leader Alana debated, "Marvin... With that analogy? Is that an admittance of guilt over being intolerant of others like yourselves? Because we don't like that."

She snapped her fingers some.

Raven debated, "then why don't you listen to your own advice, Alana?"

Raven and Alana angrily glared at each other.

On Alana's side?

There was a young adult with long black hair in braids. She had a tougher soul mixed in a desire for carefree living.

She suggested slyly, "Alana? We should deliver their minds back to their soulless bodies to rethink for themselves while they're grounded."

Alana chuckled devilishly.

Carly looked fairly doubtful.

She commented, "if you still have souls of your own... You can try to ground us. Chuckle. But, it really doesn't mean you'll get to."

In self confirmations of being spirited?

The Community's central members and the Identity's central members smirked and smiled a little.

Alana said, "that's a really cool suggestion, Nia. Now girls and guys? Laugh. Get them!"

And... Quarterstaffs and gauntlets clanged fiercely among the getting quickly maddened parties.


	14. The Prism Arena Fight, Level 1

**Part 13:**

From outside of the prism arena...

Roars of cheers and booing came from the onlookers.

They were unaware of the incoming attackers that were going through the aisles and towards the arena itself.

In the prism arena...

Justin's quarterstaff was willed to him.

He was quickly blocking Alex's gauntlets...while shifting the staff towards her.

But... Before he could complete the move?

Alex tripped him onto the rock floor with one foot.

Justin's staff rolled to the ground.

He rolled back onto his back with a groan.

Alex chuckled a little at that.

But... In the midst of a barely missed punch from Justin?

Justin grabbed one of Alex's arms.

And... He was hurling her arm backwards with surprising speed towards her own head.

Alex called out determinedly, "no!!"

Alex clinked her arm's gauntlet hard against her other gauntlet.

This was while she was willing the rock surface around Justin to transform...into quicker than normal quicksand.

Justin gulped nervously.

But... He willed his staff to extend as a fallen tree.

It was large enough then to be anchored into the ground by its bulky roots.

Justin was pulling up himself over its trunk to safety.

And... Alex jump kicked Justin hard against the tree's thick roots in mid-air.

Justin had the wind knocked out of him.

Alex landed on the trunk with ease.

She was walking up to Justin's coughing shaken mind to deliver the last blow.

Alex wondered, "so... Give up? Last chance, recruiter guy."

Justin insisted, "never!"

Alex chuckled a little.

All too casually... Alex figured, "fine. Be like...that."

Suddenly... In Justin's desperation?

He willed an earthquake to split the trunk...sending both of them backwards.

They both cried out, "ah!!"

Alex reactively flip kicked off part of the trunk in mid-air...ramming it towards Justin.

And... While Alex was in battle with Justin?

More combat was all around them.

The highest members of the Community and of the Identity had fully maintained memories and persona:

Not including Alex, Max, Gigi, or Justin.

So... Old and new rivalry was expected and pursued all at once.

Nia and Marvin were in an ice covered scene.

They were blocking each other at whirling speed:

Nia with her gauntlets and fists. Marvin with his quarterstaff.

Nia was zooming around him to try to get an opening.

But... Marvin was anticipating this.

Marvin kicked down hard at the ice below.

And... It was shattering and splitting in Nia's direction.

Nia gasped in surprise.

She couldn't stop her speed from dragging her toward the icy water.

She was starting to fall fast below the water.

But... She willed a tidal wave of the cold liquid back at Marvin.

She was lifting some glaciers in the process.

Nia called confidently, "all right: Can't get me now!"

Nia grabbed hold of an iceberg out of instinct.

And... She swung around it with enough speed to kick off another.

Marvin looked somewhat nervous.

He gulped nervously.

He radar calculated a small enough window of opportunity for him.

And... He tumbled onto the exact part of the ice that will be swept up by the wave.

He expectedly put his hands against the rising ice...and kicked off from it.

And... In the process?

He was tackling Nia on top of a piece of ice.

Nia swiftly swung her hair in Marvin's confused face.

That was throwing his concentration long enough to be quickly ramned off by her knees alone.

Marvin tumble crashed against a second glacier.

He was struggling to get air in the midst of his coughs.

His quarterstaff sunk in water nearby.

Nia leaped onto the landing pad.

She grinned cruelly.

Marvin cried out worriedly, "no!!"

With a loud laugh?

Nia was about to finish the fight.

Meanwhile, in another part of the prism arena...

Marlow and Carly were combating in a cavern.

It was filled with bolted torches, stalagmites, and turning passages of carved stone.

Marlow was nearly covered from head to toe with metal. His head was the only exception there.

Carly had formed motorcycle styled armor from her own body to counteract him.

Their gauntlets furiously banged together as they tried to get a hit on each other.

The rivals kept shifting around the mineral spikes.

They kept trying to knock each other against these stalagmites.

They both frustratedly sighed some.

Then... Marlow transformed his arm into a metal tentacle that wrapped around Carly's spirit.

He hurled her against a then smashing in stalagmite.

Carly transformed into a large metal plate...landing face up over the debris of the stalagmite.

With a vicious laugh?

Marlow hurled the form reforming Carly down a corridor as though she was a ball.

Carly quickly transformed into a large cloud of gas.

She was traveling at extreme speed backwards...right towards Marlow.

Marlow clanked down the passage in misplaced anxiety.

Marlow was in the midst of calling out, "Carly?! Carly? I know you're...!!"

Suddenly... He gasped in horror.

The torches around him were going out from a subtle but significant breeze.

And... Carly's cloud form's moisture attacked Marlow's spirit like flaming arrows.

It was melting his shelled hide to rust.

Marlow struggled to escape.

But... His shelled joints were fusing into rock.

Marlow frustratedly cried out at this.

He willed himself a hole under the rock.

He was trying to quickly slide down a winding tunnel of earth.

But... With a chuckle?

Carly in gas form was overtaking his otherwise immovable legs.


	15. The Prism Arena Fight, Level 2

**Part 14:**

Meanwhile, in another part of the prism arena...

Ben cried in mental pain at the searing heat of flames.

Bolts of flashes came like threatening spears.

They were combusting into flares against a unnatural smoky colored sky.

Treetops pierced through the sheet of darkness.

Their bulk was branching out of what appeared as nothingness.

Sparky was radiating with fire across his dangerous yet thriving body.

He was smiling cruelly.

He was leaping from branch to branch after Ben.

Ben spun around the raining lightning.

He was kicking off a piece of burning bark in mid-air descent.

Sparky whirled against the descending burning shard.

He was riding it like a board in a push off from a relatively shorter set of branches.

He kicked at Ben in mid-landing.

Ben whirled sideways to dodge.

He frustratedly cried out at the same time.

He rammed his shoulder at Sparky.

Sparky tumbled back to his feet with ease.

He was standing atop the edge of a thick branch.

He chuckled menacingly.

He was hurling missile like fireballs at Ben.

But... Ben smiled.

He willed a water hose to him.

He said, "time for me to put out your fire show."

And... He sprayed water from the water hose at the missiles.

They turned into steam.

And... Before Sparky could react?

A remaining aflame shard crashed into the branch he was on.

Ben had the hint of a purely intuitive grin.

The shard exploded on impact...splitting the branch in half.

Sparky cried out in frustration.

He was clinging in desperation to the falling branch.

And... As the steam cleared?

A lightning bolt was willed by Sparky to strike the center of the same tree.

Ben gulped nervously.

Flames were spreading down the completely splitting apart tree.

Ben high jumped backwards.

He was quickly spinning around branch after branch to try to reach Sparky.

Branch after branch broke off into the shallow void below.

Sparky thought his branch to become an old fashioned rope bridge.

He smiled some.

He was climbing onto the rope bridge:

In part for safety.

Ben high swung off of the branches altogether.

And... He was surprise kicking Sparky hard against his own bridge.

With the gathered up breeze of the whirlwind swings Ben has been doing?

Ben has put out the flare sitting on his shoulder.

The force of the collision and the escalated friction on the bridge sent Sparky straight through it.

Ben willed a custom flameproof firefighter suit on.

He was leaping towards Sparky.

And... They both were falling towards the void and flames.

Ben took out his quarterstaff somehow sticking out of his shirt.

In a angry cry?

Sparky was trying to fire flames and punch at Ben.

Ben was spin whirling his spirit around the flames to dodge them in the air.

And... Soon?

He was deflecting Sparky's gauntlets in a chorus of clinks and clangs.

Meanwhile, in another part of the prism arena...

Alana chuckled deviously.

Her fists and gauntlets were clashing with Raven's quarterstaff.

They seemed to be standing on a storm of snowflakes as big as porches. They were whirling in a cyclone worth of a breeze. Blurs of ice cloaked their surroundings.

Alana struck Raven's spirit.

Raven was tumbling through an open space within a platform snowflake.

She cried out, "ahh!"

But... Raven quickly propped her staff across the open space.

She was pulling herself up.

She let out a sigh of relief.

Alana morphed her physiology with her mood. For, she was physically strengthening her spirit with her rising anger.

She angrily cried out, "no!!"

She was hard kicking down at the platform snowflake...splitting it into two.

And... The big updraft of it was trapping Raven in the whirlwind beyond.

Her staff flew out of her hands...getting lost to the whirlwind.

Alana grabbed onto one half of the divided platform for support.

She sighed in mixed relief.

Raven cried out, "ahh!!"

She was caught up in the whirlwind.

She was struggling to fly herself free.

Suddenly... Raven smirked wide to herself.

Somewhat casually... She called out, "hey...Alana! I got a way out of this."

Alana laughed hard.

Alana looked amused.

Alana wondered, "what? Laugh. You're going to run out of air soon. And, then I'll finally have taken the psychic Raven Baxter down."

Then... Raven started singing.

Raven was singing, "some people call me crazy... Some things there's no explaining... Just believe what you see... It's supernatural!!"

At the same time... She was willing it for her singing to turn into sonic screams.

Her sonic scream singing created shockwaves...shattering the snowflakes around the mind combatants.

They both temporarily willed their hearing to be temporarily muted to absorb away the mind implications of the sonic blasts.

The snowflake platforms all turned into ice pellets.

Alana angrily cried out, "Raven Baxter!! Why won't you stay down?!"

Raven laughed.

She lightly called back, "because I'm cool, Alana! What you going to do about it now?"

She smirked.

And... In the chaotic tide of the growing wind around Alana?

Alana was propelled fast towards Raven.

Alana angrily cried out.

She was struggling to fly herself free.

The collection of ice shards gave off an impression of snow in the background.

Alana's feeling of frustration gave her spirit enough speed to literary run between the shards.

Raven muttered in frustration, "shoot! This girl is going to make me have to go fast too."

She frustratedly sighed.

But... With precognition alone?

Raven kept swinging off of the shards after Alana.


	16. Cloaked Prism Shockwaves No More

**Part 15:**

Dream minutes during the prism run(physically 11:18 A.M. on third physical day after mental bang)…

The audience surrounding the real prism took no notice to the screams:

To the shrieks that became as accelerated in mind time as the impulsive doomed figures they originated from.

However... The contestants in the prism had a different story.

While the falling mind invader figures were vanishing from existence?

Their very cries turned into sonic screams.

And... Their sonic screams were unintentionally and yet collectively shattering the prism to pieces.

The crowd outside the prism gasped in panic. They were wondering in fear what would happen next.

The sonic wave had the contestants disregard their battlefield.

They turned their attentions to awakening most of the mind populace's attention.

And... From an unanticipated ripple of aftereffect?

They suddenly had a lack of needed support to hold up the sides together.

The rest of the mirror cloaked collective formation fell apart.

The figures within the collapsing prism shaped their arrangement instinctively.

They did so to swing off from one another in time.

They were fleeing in flight and retreating to regroup:

Away from this mutated dreamscape.

Most of the members of the Identity and the Community began to evacuate in equal confusion and panic.

They were calling out, "Run! Come on! This way! What the…?!"

It seemed to be a massive retreat...with the sole exceptions of two individuals.

Apparently?

Gigi was tailing Jeffery.

She was not even noticing the evacuation.

She slyly smiled.

She deduced manipulatively, "he'd make a great addition to the Identity. Maybe if I give him a push…"

And... By Gigi's wormhole?

Jeffery was transported to the massive wormhole disturbance's center.

And... This same section of his brain has remained undisturbed until then.

Soon after, in Jeffery's imagination landscape…

Out of the pillars came a swirling rainbow of colors.

It lit the mosaic room into bright light.

Jeffery shut his eyes against the flare.

He reactively groaned some.

Then... He opened them again.

He saw a shining glare suddenly emitting under his feet.

He got to his feet in frustration.

And... He saw a stranger setting.

Somewhat nervously... He called out, "who are you?!"

From the prismatic cage of murals?

The characters were standing next to him in one second.

One of them was actually Gigi.

She was taking on the form of one of the mosaic characters to avoid quick detection from Jeffery.

She was starting to advance towards Jeffery.

The next second?

Their colors were more blurred and intermixed.

And... For their own reasons?

Alana and Carly had teleported into the prior undisturbed dream dimension of Jeffery's brain.

Alana looked worried toward Gigi.

Alana insisted in worry, "find more fighters later Gigi! Right now, we need to reform our plans before we lose more."

Gigi asked in confusion, "Alana? I don't understand...!"

Alana took a still confused Gigi along by the hand.

Alana just said, "ugh!"

And... Along with Gigi and more members of the Identity?

Alana was heading back fast to Max's brain through her portal.

Carly had a sense that the Identity had fled themselves.

So... Just before Carly and other Community members fled through a portal?

Carly quietly dropped Justin off to secretly evaluate Jeffery.

This was of course unknown to Alana.

Remaining leftover colors just spun around...as though they were in a blender of paint without meaning or repercussion.

All the while? Out from this bizarre color fusion?

Jeffery saw a mirror version of himself.

Jeffery was wide eyed in shock.

The mirror Jeffery retorted, "what you'll become."

He smiled a little.

Jeffery commented, "but...the only thing I know is the word Jeffery. Is it my name then?"

The second Jeffery chuckled.

He reasoned, "you catch on quick."

Not long after the end of Jeffery's double persona exam…

Justin begun explaining, "in here? Desires sprout stronger drive to the point of materialized rushes in most people…"

Jeffery finished grimly, "...and so few goals or cultures in between."

Justin replied grimly, "right. And, that's why the Community needs all the help they can get with a scary alliance called the Identity."

They both nervously sighed.

Jeffery assured, "you have my full support."

Justin deduced, "more than you know. It wasn't just us here."

Jeffery sounded a little shook.

He added, "Yes. I...I'm starting to get the picture."

Yet... They both smiled.

Another green flash formed under their feet.

It was taking the two hopefuls beyond Jeffery's restrictive physical body...and towards their next destination.


	17. Mind Monsters, Princesses, and Promises

**Part 16:**

Three days earlier, not long before the mental bang event...

Alex wondered in confusion, "what are we even talking…about?"

Justin realized, "oh, Alex! Don't tell me you…"

Alex glanced down at her untouched food in depressing confirmation.

Justin lashed out, "you are so in trouble this time! I wouldn't be too surprised if you were sent to boot camp after we clear all this up."

Alex's tears resurfaced in sorrow.

Justin tried to apologize, "Alex, I'm deeply… Hard sniffle! If only…communicated… Hard sniffle! Your mind…"

But... Alex retracted her hand in her current drowning state of mind.

She started pulling out her wand.

In growing sorrow of his own?

Max was getting teary eyed himself.

Max insisted desperately, "this is the only time I've gotten a secure future, and I'm not going to let either of you ruin it!"

They were about to start a furious wizard battle with their wands at the ready.

Unfortunately... An explosion sounded before they could.

The redder cyborg called out in a freaky deep voice, "get out!"

And... In a differing but just as mutated voice?

The other cyborg insisted, "while you still can."

The food court plunged into flames.

Smoke rose from the many food stalls.

The flames started to form a dome like wall of heat.

More explosions went off.

The workers dove for cover...including Jerry and Theresa Russo.

People ran and screamed for the nearest emergency exits across the lobby.

And... Again?

The Russo siblings were cloaked in isolation.

Alex couldn't take it anymore.

She ran for the way out.

A trail of tears were trailing behind her feet.

Justin called out in alarm and worry, "Alex!!"

Presently, a dream quarter of an hour after the prism run...

Justin's spirit awoke with a startle.

Warm sounding... A voice checked, "you all right?"

And... Standing by a jewel framed bed?

There stood the figure of Maddie Fitzpatrick.

Only... She looked quite different than Maddie.

She had sparkling ruby bracelets and bright silk wrapped around her spirit tighter than a bath towel.

Justin was lying down on the bed.

He was trying to adjust his eyes to his surroundings.

Justin nervously responded, "ye…yeah. But, who are you?"

The figure insisted, "you go first."

She inched closer towards the bed.

She smiled.

Justin revealed in a daze, "I'm…Justin. At least, I think I am."

Suddenly... The other figure's smile quickly faded.

She noticed something distorting in shock.

She deduced in worry, "your image… It is blurring!"

Justin moved an arm with difficulty towards his vision.

And... The distortions around his arms were grimly confirming the suspicion.

Justin was coughing hard.

The other figure looked worried.

Between some coughs... Justin suggested, "is…it…something in the air?"

The figurative princess tried to assure bitterly, "but… It just got fresher."

She pouted.

Then... Justin began having a coughing fit.

The princess tried to push down on his mind heart to get the thoughts running smoother.

She was teary eyed.

She called out in concern, "come on! Come on Justin! Don't dis...appear on me now."

That's when she felt an invisible body in the way.

The being attempted to absorb her fingers.

But... The princess kicked off of the creature.

At the same time... She was going, "ahh!! Get away from him!"

The semi-transparent monster blob child cried in mental pain.

It was retreating from Justin's mentally drained and fluctuating spirit.

With the passing by whirlwind left from the blob child?

The princess whirled her hands around in reaction.

The princess was trying hard to find a support to even out the momentum.

She swung off of a second energy drainer.

And... The princess leaned her hands down on the igloo like floor.

She sighed with partial relief.

She got back up.

She dusted herself off fast.

Justin sighed with mixed relief.

His spirit form was no longer fluctuating.

He responded, "thank you, miss…"

Justin smiled. The princess smiled wide.

But... Their smiles quickly faded.

The second drainer spun a limb at the only window in the room:

Right where the princess used to be a dream second ago.

The princess inputted, "Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick. Brain? Get us out of here!"

The window smashed apart...giving into a spread of blinding light.

Justin and Princess Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick shut their eyes on impulse.

And... For the two of them?

Shrieks of the duo of evaporating invaders pierced any immediate sense of peace.

A wormhole took Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick and Justin out of range just in time...before both could be destroyed along with the mind disrupters.

And... On the other side of the colored glass window?

There was a second lookalike of Maddie.

But... She had much duller clothes made up of torn shreds that were barely cloaking her person.

There was a small metal room making up the lookalike's surroundings.

Pillars made up the walls. Only a locked door was the way out.

The door had exploded in response to the shaken window:

As if the two were actually merged as one item.

A cold voice called out, "evaporate this!"

It was Max.

Max thought a lightning bolt into existence...which was zapping through this room.

Apparently... His spirit still had the power of dream manipulation:

With or without being in his brain...as long as it was intact.

The mystery lookalike Maddie exclaimed in worry, "what's going on?!"

She reactively covered her eyes from the flash of lightning.

Max all too casually smiled.

Max tried to insist, "don't worry Marilyn. I'm the lifeguard."

The energy overloaded some nearby mind disrupters out of existence.

Marilyn muttered back under her breath, "more like needing supervision."

Max slightly glared at that.

Justin used the distraction to make a wormhole in time.

And... At the same time?

Max made his own wormhole...transporting a reluctant Marilyn with him.

Much more mind stalkers were beginning to chase after the four of them:

Like hunters on their trail.

The mind stalkers had their own self generating wormholes.

Corridors were forming and shrinking all at once around the mind avatars.

Wormholes intermixed with intersecting disruptions.

Max tried to blast another thought drainer away with a wind gust.

But... Nothing happened.

He exclaimed in frustration, "bunk!"

Marilyn concluded, "so... Only physical actions can happen between brains?"

And... Almost as though they were linked by a mindset group?

The four of them ran through corridor after corridor to try to slip past the nightmare cave in.

Fortunately... Since the wormhole paths were merely the path a traveler intends to take forward in mentality?

Intersecting paths sped up deterioration behind travelers and not in front of them:

Because travelers did not want to crash into each other.

Justin wondered in amazement, "h...how did you know we're in dreamscapes?!"

Marilyn solemnly sighed.

She was teary eyed.

She deduced, "too much time to myself of outweighing which possibility is the best fitting."

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick urged in frustration, "yeah. Uh-huh. How about concentrating on the possibilities of getting us out of here alive?!"

She slightly glared.

Max deduced, "it already has been calculated."

And... From around the corner out of impulse?

Max punched an incoming drainer.

He knocked the surprised monster down into the deterioration of its own wormhole.

The drainer kept going past the spatial decay...launching itself by its own wormhole out of range.

The creature shrieked out of frustration.

It was struggling to get up and return to the spatial network.

And... In the same spatial network?

These thought absorbers seemed to be more clear, bigger, and yet still transparent bodies:

By enough adjoining disruptions to bend enough light upon them to give them an big outline.

The shapes were humanoid. But, no other features seemed to be noticeable.

Marilyn smiled in partial amusement.

She realized, "there is a plan to this?"

Suddenly... Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick frustratedly and exhaustedly sighed.

She was grabbing both edges of another intersection...kicking upward with heightened momentum.

And... A second drainer catapulted out of the disruption ceiling.

The drainer's distorted crash was distorting the intersection.

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick complained, "I can't keep this up! I'm a heiress!!"

Max and Marilyn sighed in frustration at her.

Justin called out grimly, "this way!!"

He led Max and the two Maddie lookalikes in a leap.

They leaped across the deterioration in front of them...tumbling into another corridor.

Justin had harder trouble of getting up.

And... Marilyn had to help him up to get up quick enough.

All four kept running from the drainers nearly overtaking them.

They were turning into another corridor.

They were all taking deep breaths to catch their breaths.

Between deep breaths... Justin concluded, "must be…the small…overdose…of hormone…rations…going into…partial withdrawal." 

The four of them look wide eyed in fear.

Mind stalkers seemed to surround them from everywhere...closing in for their finale.

Then... All gravity broke loose.

Countless wormholes struck the same intersection.

They were transforming the corridors into an anti-gravity bubble shaped chamber.

Justin nervously asked, "Ivana? Just...just try at least once more for me?"

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick smiled at that.

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick casually added, "okay."

Max smirked a little.

With a sudden advantage with anti-gravity?

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick and Max hurled some of the mind stalkers against each other.

The mind stalkers shrieked some at that.

Their features were seeming much more normal in form due to intensely bent light.

Suddenly?

Many mind avatars were coming all around the drainers.

And... The drainers too were growing in numbers.


	18. Finding the Way Back Home

**Part 17:**

Carly commented, "good coordination."

Alana suggested, "we'll hold them off."

The Identity members fought off the drainers.

The Community members begun a different kind of formation.

But... At least for now?

The Identity and the Community weren't glaring at each other. They were focused then on fighting the mind monsters.

Alex remarked, "just don't let them hold you!"

She hard kicked left and right with both legs...knocking some mind monsters backwards.

Ivana Tipton-Fitzpatrick spun off one absorber in reflex.

She was dizzily starting to fall to the ground in exhaustion.

And... She ended up knocking into Marilyn by accident.

The two beings suddenly glowed in intensity.

And... Their bodies seemed to merge closer on their own accord.

They were gasping in shock.

And... The two personas became one Maddie mind avatar.

Maddie was giving off the appearance of a steel plated warrior without a helmet.

Maddie sighed with relief.

She said, "ahh. That's better: To be me again."

She spin rammed her heels against mind absorbers.

She was kicking off the monsters with enough force to send them across the bubble.

Max and Justin looked stunned.

Jeffery had the appearance of a robed monk.

He was delivering mind blowing punches and elbows left and right to thought absorbers.

Marlow remarked, "you know? It might be better if we reprogrammed the monsters's brains following dream wide mind hole device distribution."

Ben retaliated, "and let them claim our brains and take our minds with them?!"

They both angrily glared.

But... Alex got in between them.

Alex called out, "hold it!"

Alex encouraged, "now... Look. These two seem to be an army from their own arms alone. I say we leave them to it and the rest of us get out of here."

She smirked wide.

Most of the Identity members and most of the Community members smiled and smirked some at this. Even Alana did.

Alana tells Alex, "good idea Alex! We really should have met sooner."

Alana and Alex smile wider.

They chuckle some.

Alana lightly calls out, "Identity forces? Fall back!"

The Identity members fell back.

They fell back towards a circle formation.

It was a circle formation forming from the arms of the Community members.

Justin and Max joined the chain of clasped hands.

Max insisted, "hurry!"

With their blows against the thought stealers?

Jeffery and Maddie cleared the way for the mind populace all around.

Gigi and Alex held hands in the midst of the spiraling string of minds.

At least right here in this dream minute? The Community and The Identity were all unified in thought.

Colors exploded in swirls across the winding twist of connected minds.

Echoes of words of the past blended in chaotic chatter.

The dream disrupters instinctively banded together in a circle...holding onto each other for protection.

Gigi called out, "keep it together!"

Jeffery encouraged, "get a grip!"

Maddie and Jeffery clung onto the first arms they felt...which were the frightened dream disrupters.

Whether that was on purpose or not? It was never truly known.

Raven and Sparky linked their hands in Maddie's and Jeffery's hands.

To take in the brightening colors without losing vision?

The mind avatars had to close their eyes.

Blurs of perception and audibility were radiating from the unified mindset of preservation.

They expanded outward as branching wormhole corridors.

The corridors closed in on the dormant brains of humankind...thinning out into thought carrier beams.

And... Multiple neuron electrons were lighting up in nervous restart and anticipative reaction.

Back in the physical realm…

Executive Miranda and Agent Harper started to open their eyes in confusion.

They were back at Miranda's shady office.

Harper wondered, "how…long were…?"

She was in a temporary daze.

She was rubbing her eyes as if it might've been a nightmare.

Miranda checked her antique wristwatch.

She had a unsettling startle.

The Assistant Director revealed in mutual disturbance, "five days."

Agent Harper turned to her spy partner with puzzling vex.

She was examining the room with her eyes for confirmation.

Agent Harper asked in near disbelief, "are you serious?!"

Miranda insisted ironically, "I never kid."

The National Security Branch got enough acceleration back in their nervous system for their wireless helmets to reawaken their own network.

And... They could in time retract their mind avatars back to their brains.

The hybrid monsters's very instincts were spirited enough to have mind avatars of their own: Purely destructive ones.

Right before the National Security Branch's mind avatars retracted back to their brains?

The hybrid monsters's instinctive mind avatars and more mindful mind avatars underwent the same fate.

Their monstrous adrenaline brought the rest of their bodies to speed...raising them to consciousness in dream minutes.

However... They were around a half hour ahead of the National Security Branch.

It was setting the stage for a secret war of monsters.

Within the mind knot of anchored disruption…

From an aftereffect of the discharged avatars?

The chain of linked mind avatars kind of broke and spun out of alignment...wrapping around itself.

A balled up mass of minds had so much crisscrossing formed from preservative impulse...that they kind of anchored themselves tight into each other's minds.

They'd only make it worse if they tried to activate wormholes to spring free.

And... In sighs, coughs, groans, and deep thought?

All they could do was wait and hope.

At Wiz World reboot time…

Harper concluded out loud, "the wizard world won't repair itself before the monsters get here at this rate. Now what do I do?!"

A large task force of monster bipedal giants was halfway across the desert landscape that'd lead to the mystical hole.

Soon... Harper was thinking of a new plan.

And... In spite of the tears falling from her face?

Harper pushed herself to focus on this new plan of hers.

Harper took off both of her ear pin bombs.

And... In last minute desperation?

She hurled them at the same time...at the rim of the opening to numerous uncivil millenniums of wizards past.

Harper ran for the only direct way out.

Countless motionless bodies were hurled into combusting bright blue flashes of magic...by a grand tidal wave worth of blue wizard energy.

The portal begun to freeze shut with both of Harper's cryogenic bombs.

Within the thought knot…

The minds suddenly were struck by a huge blue lightning bolt.

It was piercing open their disruption pocket.

It was composed of blue wizard energy.

And... It was beginning to repair the shockwaves:

Of the wizard spell that started the near uncontrollable chaos on both realms of reality.

The mind avatars glowed with unnaturally charged blue skin.

And... With sighs of great unease and of mixed relief?

They were morphing into a liquid like mass of thought in unconsciousness.


	19. Mindset Destiny

**Part 18:**

Soon, within the Wiz World…

Harper tumbled straight through the doorway...and back for civilization.

And... The edge of the portal was welded shut by kinetic chain lightning with a mind of its own.

The doorway magically sealed up behind Harper.

Harper was taking hard breaths to catch her breath.

But... Leaning against the closed doorway helped her mostly still stand.

This potential wizard web wide security system was going as far as mending all the homes that were built around each wizard lair.

And... From her view through the closet door keyhole?

Harper looked wide eyed and amazed in speechless shock at the chain lightning that was following.

She deduced, "it's repairing everything. Oh my gosh! Everyone too? I hope so!"

She chuckled warmly a lot.

Due to the chain lightning being so widespread across the wizard web? With numerous wizard lairs and their looking glass portals in the cosmic balance?

The chain lightning was mending every monster related impact as though it didn't happen:

Like a part of time undoing its own monstrous knot.

Monster hybrid battlefields seemingly beyond repair were fully being restored: Buildings and all.

Teens and adults mystically turned into monster hybrids by the grimly left unattended wizard web reality shift? They were reverting back to their original selves in unconsciousness.

Monsters and wizards that vanished from sight were reappearing across Earth and in the wizard web.

Even Miranda was hit by the chain lightning.

Her unconscious state was completely reversed:

With a disappearing set of aches altogether.

Among the mindset shards…

Thought beams still clung to the remaining mind avatars...reeling them back towards their brains.

The blue energy crackling around them discharged straight through the beacons.

They were illuminating their home brains's neuron electrons like slowly recharging power grids.

Monster brains's thought carrier waves reversed themselves...crashing together where the spatial pocket used to be.

Flares of colors and echo spread over humanity...granting partial brain metabolism across the world.

The mind avatars landed back in their regenerating bodies.

The mind flares were enough to bring the majority of humanity into normal slumber condition.

After they awaken?

It wouldn't be very long before the monster hybrids would awaken.

Their mutated adrenaline, given to them by a Wiz World rift, was back in their bodily regulation regeneration phase.

And... When the time came in the physical realm?

That was due to revive the monster hybrids in dream minutes.

Two physical days prior to mass sleep normalization…

Miranda considered, "That's good. And... This whole adventure has shown the Russos' involuntary disappearance in the first reality shift...and which memories were supposed to be intact in the first place."

She put comforting hands on Harper's.

They both glanced over toward a glass window on the city block.

And... In observation of the setting sun through that window?

Harper deduced, "yes. It comes with a brand new day of hope."

She chuckled a lot in hope.

Miranda smiled wide at this. She knew what that meant coming from her.

Harper continued to smile at the face of her best friend Miranda. She knew there'd still be no rivalry between them after this.

Harper assumed, "we'll have all the time in the world."

Miranda assumed, "and I know who I'll always want to be hanging out with. You, Harper."

They both chuckled some at that.

They hugged each other close.

If it took five days for the FBI security force and the monsters to wake up? There's no telling how much longer for sure the rest of life as they know it would take to awaken.

For Harper? She's saved herself from the beast of worry within her.

All Harper and Miranda cared about right now was that the world was saved from monsters…and that they'll face the coming new world together.


End file.
